Starting maybe late Thursday, into Friday, November 7th, I started to feel a Google Search ranking update and volatility brewing. Like I've been saying since the num=100 parameter change, it has been harder to validate those feelings, but based on the chatter I have been seeing in the SEO community and some of the third-party Google Search tracking tools, I think there was a Google update around November 7, 2025.
Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web. Google will fix its Google Discover fake AI news problem. Google is now showing search ads, not just shopping ads...
Google is testing showing normal search ads in an ad carousel at the top of the image search results on mobile. The ads take up a lot of the top real estate of the image results and can be scrolled from side to side.
Google is reportedly working on a "fix" for the AI spam that routinely shows up within users' Google Discover feed. Google issued a statement to the Press Gazette saying, "We’re actively working on a fix" for the fake AI spam stories showing up in Google Discover.
Google is now embedding its AI chat feature within the Google Ads advertiser console, specifically in some screens. The "Guide me" button that triggers an AI chat feature was spotted in the policy disapprovals screen.
Google now lets you add your shipping and returns information within Google Search Console, even if you do not have a Google Merchant Center account. Previously, Google let you do this only if you had a Merchant Center account, that is no longer a requirement.